St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-07
A SENSIBLE CHARGE.
Judge Lochren's Advice to the
Grand Jury Yesterday.

The grand jury assembled yesterday
afternoon i'll the large court room, be-
fore Judge LOchren, who, after APP
pointing Jacob A. WOlvertOn foreman,
delivered the following charge:
The short lapse of time-less than
three weekS-Slnce grand jury was in
session in this court leads me to hope
that your labOrS may be light at the be-
ginning of the present term. Still the
work of a grand jury is always, in so
large community, an important one in
its bearing upon the peace, good order
and security of the community, which
can only be preserved by strict enforce
ment of the criminal laws, so that by
the rapidity and certainty with which
punishment follows the commission of
OffenSeS, the evil disposed may be de-
tered and constrained by fear to refrain
from the commission of crime.
In cases of the ordinary crimes, invOlv-
ing violence to persons or larcenieS of
property, complaints are made by the
persons injured, and such cases Will be
brought to your notice by such persons,
or by the county attorney where there
have been hearings before magistrates,
and in such form that you can readily
and properly dispose of them. Such
OffenSeS are we'll understood. and no
time need be spent now in discussing
them. But there are other classes of
OffenSeS, affecting in a more general
way the peace, good order and morality
of the community, and in respect to
which persons most directly affected or
injured are either participants in the
Offense or so situated as to be diSin-
clined to make complaints or institute
prosecutions. but in the suppression of
which the people have deep interest,
and it becomes the duty of the grand
jury to inquire respecting such OtfenSeS,
and to indict any that are found culpa-
bic. These OffenSeS are mainly of three
kinds: Violations of the liquor laws of
the state, the keeping of houses of i'll
fame, the leasing OF houses for that pur-
pose, and keeping of gambling houses.
With the policy of enacting the particu-
lar laws now in force on these subjects,
you and l have nothing to do. They
have been enacted by the people
through the persons chosen to the legiS-
lature. and vested with the law-making
power, and our simple and sworn duty
is to administer and enforce these laws
as we find them on the statute books.
In respect TO the liquor laws the princi-
pal violations are selling without
llCCAlSC. VI upOu VI
DAYS. The matter of licenses is impOr-
tant in the regulation of the traffic, the
revenue to be derived from 1t, and the
proper protection to be afforded to such
persons as have complied with the law.
The other provisions are conducive to
peace. decency and good order.
Houses of ill-fame tend to corrupt and
vitiate the young; to bring them into
contact with and under the influence of
criminals of all grades who haunt such
places. They are baneful in every way.
Gambling houses have similar ten
denotes, and tempt to the waste
OF fortunes and means of livelihood,
and to defalcatiOn by persons in trust,
and to embellishments and robberies by
employees. The vicious influence of
these two classes of haunts of vice and
crime can hardly be realized, as both
are managed with a considerable degree
of secrecy. Ii is the plain duty of every
grand jury to seek out these pests and
indict the offenders. The victims can
not be relied on to complain. Shame
and fear of loss of reputation usually
keep them silent. But such places are
generally known to the police. and it is
in the power of the grand jury to insti-
tute such inquiries as will be efficient
in discovering the offenders.